The Bulwark
The Bulwark was an Alliance organization headed by Lord Berenal Grayblade of the Blades of Greymane with the goal of answering the call of the Alliance as a unified force outside of just the current warfront at the time of Pandaria. It was decommissioned following the Second Battle of Andorhal after expending significant amounts of resources to recapture the city. The city was later abandoned following the decommissioning of the organization. Formation The Bulwark was formed after a noted lack of attempts to unify the many alliance battalions under common goals that normally one order could not hope to achieve alone. While such organizations such as the Northern Accord existed at the time of the forming of the Bulwark, controversy and the aspect of the accord, being that of a defensive pact mostly restricted to the north, did not fit the ultimate goal sought by Berenal. Seeing no other alliances, a call was made to ten of the more affluent and willing orders of Azeroth. The Bulwark was formed, not as a defensive pact or restricted to one region of the world, rather as a unified coalition with the goals of bringing the Alliance's justice to the Horde in fronts outside of just the front in Pandaria. Though most of those contacted were skeptical at first, due to other attempts often falling flat after a short period of time, personal meetings with the leaders of these various orders convinced them to sign the pact, creating the Bulwark with the hopes of answering the Alliance's call where needed. Procedures The Bulwark runs by various means of procedures and protocols in order to uphold an equal speaking ground for each order. Meetings are held within a week's time before and after a campaign. Campaign Procedures It is during meeting times that the orders of the Bulwark meet together to commit to a cause. Through debates, the orders of the Bulwark decide upon if a plight of the Alliance requires immediate attention, or if it requires any extra attention. Plights that are pitched are debated on to determine their worth, and once the debate is completed a vote will be taken to decide the fate of such campaigns. During these meetings, an order may also vote to opt out of the campaign that has been proposed, as orders may have prior interests that must be tended to. Should an order opt out of campaigns too frequently, they may be expelled due to showing a lack of desire to aid allies that are outside of their personal interest group. Joining Procedures In order to join the Bulwark, an order must be sponsored by an existing order within the Bulwark. These sponsors put forward a guaranteed vote of support and put their own name on the line to vouch for the worth and merit of the prospect. It is the sponsor's responsibility to ensure the prospective order understands what is asked of by the Bulwark, and what the Bulwark will offer them in return. Ultimately, after pitching their worth to the existing members of the Bulwark and answering any questions posed, a vote is taken to induct the order. Majority rules once again, and depending on the majority vote an order may be inducted or turned away from the Bulwark. An order may petition for another vote at a later date so long as another order is willing to sponsor them. Withdrawl Procedures Orders within the Bulwark are allowed to withdraw from the Bulwark at anytime without severe consequence. However, should the order wish to rejoin, they must be sponsored and will be treated as a new order despite any prior aid they have lent. Voting Procedures While a clause does exist that allows the leader to make a decision without a vote, this clause having been used for the Purge of Northrend campaign (notably with no opposition to the usage of the clause), it has seen very little use, instead the Bulwark goes about voting for each decision. Going in order around the council chamber, majority rules when deciding on the movements of The Bulwark. Orders are not required to vote for or against a decision, as abstaining is permitted unless stated otherwise. Should a party wish, they may relinquish their voting privileges within the Bulwark, opting to aid regardless of the campaign. The first to exercise this was seen by the Clergy of the Holy Light by request of Bishop Johannes Moorwhelp. Campaigns Though it was short-lived, the Bulwark had embarked on various different campaigns across Azeroth, answering the call where needed. The Purge of Northrend The first campaign the Bulwark set out on was the Purge of Northrend, a movement spurred following Lady Jaina Proudmoore's edict to remove the Sunreavers from Dalaran. While Dalaran had left the continent, a large amount of Sunreavers remained in the area preparing to withdraw from the continent back to Silvermoon. The Second Battle of Andorhal The Bulwark's second and final campaign involved retaking the ruined city of Andorhal. It had been years since its first fall in the earlier parts of the war, and they had come to the decision to retake the city. They met heavier resistance than expected, but managed to retake half of the city and sack the Forsaken-controlled portion after two long, hard weeks of battle in the streets and the outlying farms. Ultimately however, the Bulwark was decommissioned in the days following the battle, and without the resources to maintain a permanent garrison the city was abandoned when the orders left, and was eventually reclaimed by the Forsaken. Orders The Bulwark held many orders to its name, with many more often petitioning to join in league with the Bulwark's mission. They were as follows. *The Blades of Greymane (Founder) *The Dwarven Vanguard (Founder) *The League of Lordaeron (Founder) (Formerly) *The Scarlet Hammer (Founder) *The Lineage of the Moon (Founder) *The Genome Project (Founder) (Formerly) *The Violet Legion (Founder) *The Grey Haven (Founder) *The Tainted Legion (Founder) (Formerly) *The Clergy of the Holy Light (Founder) (Non-voting party) *The Crimson Lions (Formerly) *The Wolves of the Gray Rose (Disbanded) *The Will of Elune *The Order of the Beast Bulwark Bulwark Bulwark Bulwark Bulwark Category:Military Organizations